1. Field the Invention
This invention relates generally to archery and bow-hunting equipment, and, more especially, to devices for aiding the release of a bow string. The present invention relates to a device for connecting a trigger-style release aide to a bow string.
2. Related Art
Many devices have been developed for facilitating the smoothness and evenness of a drawn bow string in archery and bow-hunting. One category of such devices has a rigid hook or other rigid retaining member that the user places partially around the bow string in a position that will allow the archer to pull the bow string back by pulling on the hook/retaining member. After the archer draws the bow string by pulling on the rigid hook/retaining member and aims, he turns or otherwise moves the hook/retaining member to allow the bow string to slide out of the hook/member, thus releasing the bow string. Such rigid hook devices tend to have the negative characteristics of producing unpredictable and irreproducible results, and an increased change of hook slippage and the consequent premature firing of the arrow. Further, the direct contact and relative movement between the rigid hook and the bow string, tend to increase wear and damage of the bow string. Examples of such rigid hook/retainer devices are Baker, U.S. Pat. No. 2,133,650, issued June 1937; Halter, U.S. Pat. No. 3,656,467, issued April 1972; Hansen, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,768,456, issued Oct. 30, 1973; and Holland, U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,093, issued Oct. 16, 2001.
Another category of string release device is the rope-style device. Such devices include a string or rope member that is placed around the bow string such as is shown in Besaw (U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,821, see FIG. 3 for loop not wrapped around the bow string). The loop is anchored at its proximal end on a handle, and wrapped around the bow string so that the loop extends from the handle, around the bow string, and back to the handle, resulting in two portions of rope extending around the bow string, as shown in Besaw, FIGS. 1 and 2. To fire the arrow, the user lets go, or operates the handle to let go, of the distal end of the loop, thereby releasing the bow string.
A third category of release device is the trigger-style release aide. A particularly popular version of the trigger-style release aide includes a handle and trigger portion from which extend two jaws adapted to clamp around the bow string. After the user pulls back on the release aide with the captured bow string in its jaws, he/she simply pulls the xe2x80x9ctrigger,xe2x80x9d which snaps open the jaws and releases the bow string.
The trigger-style aide is popular because of the jaws grasp securely around the bow string and because of the ease and predictability of the trigger release. Still, archers have developed accessories that improve the convenience of operation of the trigger-style release aide, and that attempt to alleviate wear and tear on the bow string caused by the jaws. One such accessory is a rigid metal U-shaped device that is bolted onto the bow string, as in FIG. 1A. Such an accessory provides an alternative member around which the jaws may clamp, preventing wear directly on the bow string due to movement of the bow string relative to the jaws. This U-shaped accessory, however, is made of metal and significantly xe2x80x9cweighs downxe2x80x9d the bow string, reducing its velocity and, therefore, reducing the velocity of the arrow. The effect of this U-shaped accessory on the bow string has been measured at about 11 feet/seconds velocity reduction.
Archers themselves have constructed another accessory for trigger-style release aides, by tying a length of bow string material onto their bow string in a loop. Such an accessory is shown in FIG. 1B. The archer knots each of the two ends of the string onto the bow string about two inches apart, so that a small loop extends from the bow string for clamping by the jaws. This xe2x80x9chome-madexe2x80x9d accessory may work for some time, but it offers the real danger of one or both knots letting go during drawing or aiming. If this happens, the get forces involved tend to throw the user""s fist and the release aide backwards at the user, most likely at his/her face, resulting in significant injury.
Therefore, there is still a need for a bow string release system that is convenient, lightweight, and safe. There is a need for such a system that may operatively attach to the bow string for repeated use with little or no wear and tear of the bowstring. The present invention meets these and other needs.
A bow string loop release including a flexible strand including two opposing and spaced-apart loop ends connected by a durable center release engagement portion. The preferred bow string loop release, includes a center release engagement portion formed of a resilient, tough yet pliable element or construction. The opposing first and second loop ends are formed of a material or by a method that results in a loop end sufficiently pliable to permit configuration of the first and the second loop ends as first and second slip hitches for securing the bow string loop release to a bow string.
In one preferred embodiment of the invention, the bow string loop release includes a loop, which is preferably formed of a continuous length of string coiled several times into a circular or oval form. Preferably, the continuous length of string is configured as a multiple filament string. In one preferred embodiment, the string is coiled in a figure xe2x80x9c8xe2x80x9d pattern rather than a circular or oval pattern before a binding string is wound around the coil. It has been observed that this method may provide a main loop that is particularly durable and exhibits consistent performance.
The coil is pinched together in the center forming opposing loop ends and a binding string is wound around the center release engagement portion forming windings to reinforce the center release engagement portion of the coil and form an elongated, firm center release engagement portion. Thus, the bow string loop release takes the form of an elongated bound center release engagement portion with a loop end extending at either end of the elongated bound center release engagement portion. This structure results in a long-lasting bow string loop release, wherein the ends tend to cling in place on the bow string, rather than slide down the bow string. The center release engagement portion is firm, although somewhat bendable, and is easily clamped by the release aide jaws.
In order to place the bow string loop release on the bow string, the two loop ends are reversed back upon the elongated bound center release engagement portion to form first and second slip hitches. An end of the bow string is threaded through the first and second slip hitches and tightened into a selected position by pulling on the elongated bound center release engagement portion, thereby tightening the first and second slip hitches.
The preferred construction of the bow string loop release provides a firm but still slightly flexible bow string loop release. After being bent into an approximate half circle, it tends to stay in that shape, but is non-brittle and durable. The center release engagement portion is received between the release aide jaws securely enough for the release aide to pull the bow string loop release, and, hence, the bow string, back during drawing of the bow. The bow string loop release is intended primarily for use with a trigger-style release device, although there may be advantage in using the bow string loop release to provide a gripping point for an archer""s fingers or other pulling means. When using a trigger-style release device, the release jaws clamp around the bow string loop release, rather than around the bow string. A desired pulling force is applied the bow string via the bow string loop release. After aiming, the archer operates the trigger to open the jaws, releasing the bow string loop release, and hence the bow string, to fire the arrow. The bow string loop release may provide a smoother, more predictable, and more accurately angled, and non-damaging release of the bow string after drawing and aiming.
A method for making a bow string loop release includes forming a relatively flexible strand including a center release engagement portion, the flexible strand also including a first loop end extending from a first end of the center release engagement portion and a second loop end attached to and extending from a second end the center release engagement portion. The first and second loop ends may be configured as first and second slip hitches.
In one embodiment the method for making a bow string loop release includes the steps of:
forming a loop of a relatively pliable material;
applying a compressive force at opposing loop points forming a pinched center loop portion resulting in the formation of a first loop end attached to and extending from a first end of the pinched center loop portion and a second loop end attached to and extending from a second end the pinched center loop portion; and
forming a center release engagement portion a resilient pliable covering is applied to the pinched center loop portion forming a center release engagement portion.
The method for making a bow string loop release may also include the additional steps of:
forming the loop by wrapping 5 to 8 wraps of string having a diameter in the range of 0.010 to 0.050 inches to form a coil defining the loop; and
wrapping a binding string having a diameter in the range of 0.010 to 0.050 inches to form the binding wrap around the pinched center loop portion forming the center release engagement portion.
The method for making a bow string loop release may also include the additional steps of:
wrapping a first end of the binding string under successive binding wraps;
capturing a second end of the binding string employing a capture device;
pulling the second end of the binding string back under the last few successive binding wraps; and
attaching the second end of the binding string to one or more binding wraps.
The present invention consists of the devices and methods hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.